About

Hercules

HerculesHercules was known for his strength and courage. He completed legendary adventures which accredited for his heroic status. Son of Zeus and human Alcmene made him a demigod. Hercules suffered relentless rage from Hera for being the baby of her disloyal husband. As an infant Hera sent two serpents to his cradle, but Hercules astonishingly strangled the serpents. These undertakings and additional events would lead to Hercules being regarded as one of the more paramount gods in mythology.

There were many who claimed Zeus as their father, but there were none that were immortal. Hercules maintained immortality as a mishap during birth. Hercules' father was Zeus, but his immortality came from the milk of Hera he drank at birth.

Hercules's real mother however was Alcmene, the wife of King Amphitryon. Zeus, the king of the gods, disguised himself as Amphitryon and visited Alcmene when Amphitryon was off at war. Hera found out that Alcmena was pregnant with Zeus's child and became infuriated. Hera sent two serpents to kill Hercules while in his cradle. The serpents approached infant Hercules and as they went to execute him he stood up and strangled the serpents with his bare child hands. The failed attempt to kill Hercules made Hera even more livid. People that know of Hercules do not the true story of Hercules, and do not know what he had to go through.

The story of Heracles that comes to people’s mind is not what Heracles had to do during his life. Throughout the life of Heracles, he has shown that he deserved to be remembered as a great hero, through the opposition that he faced from the husband of Zeus, the king of the gods, wife, Hera, because he was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera is the main reason that Heracles had to complete the 12 labors.

Hera caused Heracles to go mad and kill his family. The only way for Heracles to purify himself was to accomplish the 12 labors that were assigned to him by his cousin Eurystheus. Heracles must have completed these difficult trials to help him return to his usual life the main reason that Hera hated Heracles is because he was the illegitimate son of her husband Zeus. Hera usually would show hatred for woman that Zeus had slept with, but in this case her hatred was for son of the woman. The hatred of Hera is also ironic because Heracles’ names even means “Glory of Hera”, but with Hera’s hatred cause Heracles to become a great hero and made him a god, and made him the man that many Greek men idolize and portray as the man that they should become.

The 12 labors that Heracles had to face were to purify him from killing his family even though his madness that caused him. The madness was caused by Hera because of her hatred for him. The person that assigned the way to purify him was the oracle at Delphi. “To find out how to cleanse himself of his sins, Heracles consulted the oracle at Delphi. The oracle answered, “You must go too your cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, and do whatever he demands of you. Only in this way shall you be cleansed” (Low 94). This was the only way for Heracles to become cleansed and to atone or his sins. Before he set off to go to the city of Tiryns or Mycenae Heracles was visited by the gods. These gods had pity for Heracles and gave him weapons for the trials that his was about to face. The gifts he received were: A robe, a sword, golden breast-plate, a team of horse, and a shield (Dowrick 198). Heracles will not use this equipment in the trials except for the first one. These gifts show the read that Hercules had some Gods of his side. These gods will become helpful to Heracles during his trials because some of the gods, like Athena, will intervene in one of his labors and help him move along and keep going. Hercules faced these Labor with training, as a young boy. Heracles was trained by the famous hero mentor, Cheiron. Hercules went into these labors ready to face the world and to try his best to survive. “Like all heroes,...

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...Hercules
For my research paper I chose to explore and analyze instances of the great Greek/Roman hero, Heracles (Hercules), appearing in popular culture and the effect his myths had on early civilizations. Considered by most to be the greatest of the Greek folk heroes, Hercules was the embodiment of masculinity and physical power. The word “herculean” literally translates into “having enormous strength, courage, or size” (dictionary.com.) Since their inception, the myths and legends of Hercules have been immensely popular and have had vast influences on people and cultures throughout the world. Over the next few pages I will attempt to compare and contrast several examples of Hercules’ representation in pop culture with the underlying myths that are being depicted. I will also piece in the undeniable influence these myths have had on people throughout history.
First, however, I would like to start by giving a little bit of background information on the hero known as Hercules. Hercules was born as the son of Zeus and a beautiful mortal woman named Alcmene, in the Greek city of Thebes. Due to his father’s divinity, Hercules was given the gift of extraordinary physical strength and courage. From the beginning, the events of his life were shaped by the wrath of the goddess Hera, who scorned the boy that was a reminder of her husband’s infidelity. As he...

...Hercules: 12 Labors of HerculesHercules, in Greek mythology, was a hero known for his strength and
courage and for his legendary adventures. Hercules is the Roman name for the
Greek hero Heracles. He was the son of the god Zeus and a human mother Alcmene,
wife of the Theban general Amphitryon. Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, was determined
to kill Hercules, and after Hercules was born, she sent two great serpents to
kill him. Hercules, while he was still a baby, strangled the snakes. Hercules
conquered a tribe that had been demanding money from Thebes. As a reward, he was
given the hand in marriage of the Theben princess Megara and they had three
children. Hera, still filled hatred of Hercules, sent him into madness, which
made him kill his wife and children. In horror and remorse at what he did,
Hercules was about to kill himself. But he was told by the oracle at Delphi
that he should purge himself by becoming the servant of his cousin Eurystheus,
king of Mycenae. Eurystheus, urged by Hera, planned as a punishment the 12
impossible tasks, the "Labors of Hercules."
The Twelve Labors
The first task was to kill the lion of Nemea, a lion that could not be
hurt by any weapon. Hercules knocked out the lion with his club first, then he
strangled it to death. He wore the skin of the lion as a cloak and the head...

...ago. Was there a real Hercules, a man behind the stories? We will never know. His story is of a man so strong and courageous whose deeds were so mighty and who so endured all the hardships that were given to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the Gods. He was one of the most famous hero of ancient times and most beloved. Hercules was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome.
Hercules and his twin brother Iphicles became immortal because of an accident at birth. Iphicles was immortal because he was actually given birth to from the thigh of Zeus. Hercules' father was also Zeus, but his final dose of immortality sprang from Hera when he drank her milk at birth (Theoi).
Hercules's mother was Alcmene, the wife of King Amphitryon of Troezen. His father was none other than Zeus, the king of the gods, who disguised himself as Amphitryon and visited Alcmena on a night that lasted three ordinary nights. Zeus's wife, Hera, was furious when she learned that Alcmena was pregnant with Zeus's child. She sent witches to Troezen to stop Alcmena from going into labor, but the witches failed and Alcmena gave birth to twins. Hercules, Zeus's son, and Iphicles, Amphitryons son. Hera sent two giant snakes to kill Hercules in his cradle. His mother saw the snakes and called to her husband for help, but Hercules stood up and...

...
The Greek myth of the demi-god Heracles (more commonly known as his Roman equivalent ‘Hercules’) has survived through many different time periods and cultures and still remains a well known character in today’s society. Although the common tale has changed to be more accustomed to the modern 21st century society, the original myth endures.
Greek Demi- god Heracles
Heracles was the son of Alcmene a mortal that Zeus had become enamoured to; Zeus came to her one night in the form of her husband Amphitryon and lay with her, conceiving Hercules. Hera, Zeus’ lover was jealous as Zeus made an oath that Heracles would grow up to one day be King of all the lands he walked.
Hera eventually took her revenge on Hercules when she caused him into a fit of madness where he murdered his only sons, his wife Megara died of heartache upon hearing the news. In penance for this terrible deed, Heracles undertook to perform 12 labours under orders from Eurystheus; where on conclusion he would be granted immortality. The first labour was to kill the Nemean lion; the beast was invulnerable to weapons and continued to terrorize a mountainous district. Heracles wrestled the lion in its cave and eventually killed it with an olivewood cudgel, he then removed the pelt by using the beasts own claws. Heracles wore the lion skin as a cloak, which that and the wooden club became his trademarks that would represent the Hero for thousands of years to...

...Ciara Stella
Mrs. Brennan
English H
14 March 2013
Hercules:
Half Human, Half God
I. Biography
When most people think of Hercules, they think of the Disney character, however, he is much more than that. Son of a god, Zeus, and a mortal, Alcmena, Hercules was half god and half human. He also had a twin, Iphicles (“Hercules”). He was born and raised with a mortal family in Thebes, an ancient Greek city. He had a wife, Megara, and some myths say up to 50 children (“Hercules”). His character traits consist of extraordinary strength, courage and ingenuity. Hercules is very well-known mythical character. Wikipedia says, “Hercules was notorious for his strength and twelve labors.”
With strength comes weakness, even for mythological gods, goddesses and demigods. Hercules’ temper was a big problem; his sudden outbursts of rage often harmed innocent bystanders, such as when he went on a rage and killed his wife and 6 of his 8 children. When the fury passed, though, Hercules was full of sorrow and guilt for what he had done and ready to accept any punishment for his faults, as he did accept his punishment for killing his family, the twelve labors. Another enemy he had was Zeus’ wife, Hera, who had a strong hatred for Hercules. She sent down the goddess of childbirth to prevent his birth but she failed (Nardo 217)
II. Power and...

... Hercules: A Self-made Hero
From birth, it was easy to see that Hercules was a very unique person. Even at a young age, it was clear that he was unlike any other child because he had superhuman strength. Hercules was the child of the god Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus' wife, Hera, did not like Hercules one bit and one day decided to make him very upset anyway that she could. To do this, she sent him into a fit and went crazy. According to mythweb, "In a frenzy, he killed his own children [and wife]" (par. 2 "Heracles"). Because he killed his family, he was punished by having to labor through 12 total trials. Through this process of atonement, Hercules displays the characteristics of a high-god for the which leads him to become known as a hero.
The first trial Hercules was given was to kill the Nemean Lion and bring Eursytheus the skin. Although he knew it would be a difficult task, Hercules had no choice but to do it. Relying on tools and skills, he tracked down the animal and tried to use the bow-and-arrow to overcome the beast (par.1 "Hercules). The arrows did not work so he killed the lion with only his superhuman strength. Being successful, he brought back the skin of the lion as his proof. When Eursytheus saw that he was successful, he became afraid of him and would not speak to him in person (par. 6 "Heracles"). King Eursytheus...

...Hercules: The trials and tribulations
Fran Jelin
ENG 155
December 17, 2012
Daniel Gonzalez
Hercules: The trials and tribulations
One of the “best-known heroes” (History.com, 2012) of all time belongs to Greek mythology’s Hercules. Born into a powerful pantheon, he had already had enemies at his birth. Known, primarily, for his magnificent strength, Hercules is seen as the handsome hero, but he was also a tragic victim of the gods’ relentless battle over power; a pawn in an epic game. As the games of the gods are cruel and harsh, Hercules’ life as he knew it had been altered, sending him on odyssey that give us the great myths in literature today; giving us the epitome of the mythological hero.
Born to the great god, Zeus, and Alcmene, the granddaughter of another prominent figure in Greek mythology, Perseus (History.com, 2012), Hercules’ birth was not met approvingly by all on Mount Olympus. Zeus, being an “unfaithful husband” (Wilson, 2005), had gotten another one of his mistresses pregnant. His jealous, goddess wife, Hera, had intended to kill the child when it was small and sent serpents into Hercules’ crib. Hercules, being a demi-god, possessed unnatural strength and killed the snakes. Still, over the years, Hera’s trickery had not ceased. About the time Hercules was a young man, he had a wife and family of his own. Hera cast out her...

...the most famous demigod known most notably for his superhuman strength is Hercules, the Roman name for the Greek demigod Heracles. The superman-like figure is even more popular in mythology than certain gods and goddesses. Over time, artists and sculptors have attempted to depict Hercules through different types of material and physical poses. Although each depiction has its own individuality in the material by which it was created and the stance the demigod is holding, almost all seem to depict a similar man. Almost every depiction of Hercules appears to describe the same person: a massive man holding and resembling the features of a human but the strength and muscle definition of something greater and far mightier. The depiction of Hercules in an unknown sculptor’s Marble Statue of a Youthful Hercules, an unknown sculptor’s Marble Statue of a Bearded Hercules, and Francisco de Zurbaran’s painting Hercules and Cerberus 1634 all combine to show the same half-god through muscle definition and facial appearance.
The story of Hercules tells of a mortal boy born by Zeus, king of the gods, and Alcmene, a mortal woman. He walks and talks like a human while withholding the god-like power of strength. “Though he is a man, he is so far removed from the ordinary that the generic classification hardly contains him” (Eugene M Waith 1). In order to earn immortality and the...